Persistence-of-vision watch a winner

22 March 2006 News

Microchip Technologies' StartNow Design Contest has ended. The contest attracted entries from around the world from people who submitted electronic circuit designs based on PIC microcontrollers and analog devices. One of the winners of the December theme: Electronic Toys and Gadgets, designed the 'POV-watch' a fun, impressive way to see the time on your wrist.

David Stivens' Persistence-of-Vision watch device displays the time in the air when the wearer's arm is waved. The PIC uses six I/O lines to power the surface-mounted LEDs though current limiting resistors. There is also a piezo buzzer used as an alarm.

There are five buttons attached which use up the rest of the I/O lines. These are set time, set alarm, minutes, seconds, and display. The display button sets the LEDs into action to display the current time that appears to 'hang in the air' as the user waves his/her arm about. As the arm is waved the LEDs flash on and off and leave, what appears to the eye, the digital figures of the current time of day in the air.

The other buttons set the time and the alarm time (piezo buzzer sounds as well as the LED lights up). This is cleared by holding the alarm button for 3 seconds. The circuit uses one 3 V button battery cell and an internal clock is used to save space which is accurate to 1%.

Different colour LEDs can be used to add different effects. In addition to time, the watch could have built-in hidden messages that could be displayed with different key combinations or key presses for longer periods of time. A fun way to amuse kids and adults alike.

http://techtrain.microchip.com/startnow/

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